Technology Emerges as a Competitive Differentiator

Article
Dec 14, 2011

For the eighth year in a row, Food Logistics has identified the top 100 technology and solution providers to the food industry. The FL100 is a listing of software, hardware and IT service providers that focus on the unique technology needs of the food distribution business.

These companies are selected based on their proven track records and expertise in providing food companies with the tools to help them meet business objectives. In addition to the listings, we’ve provided charts that list 18 categories of technology solutions and identifies which solutions each of the FL100 offers. The FL100 is not a ranking—the alphabetical listing has been designed to help readers find the right solution partners to overcome their supply chain challenges.

Worth noting: Actiw Oy is a Finnish company that has focused on the design, sale and project deliveries of automated material handling systems for several decades. The company has shown its competence in dozens of projects around the world and subscribes to the mission, “Full automation from production to road.”

Worth noting: “Airclic’s Food Perform® is a comprehensive, SaaS-based mobile supply chain product for delivery and collection in the foodservice industry. Reliably connecting drivers on the road via mobile handheld devices to operations staff and computer-based information systems in the back office, Food Perform® automates the business transactions that occur in delivery and logistics operations.”

Worth noting: “Aldata is a global leader in retail and distribution optimization. Our software and service solutions help retailers, distributors and manufacturers dramatically improve their business performance. We optimize categories, space, supply, logistics, and consumer engagement to increase our customers’ revenue and margins, reduce time, cost and waste, and enhance on-shelf availability, service, and retention.”

Worth noting: “Avercast has done very well with mid-sized companies in food and beverage production, but we are also a good fit for larger global companies.”

Barcoding, Inc., Baltimore, MD

Web site: www.barcoding.com

Year founded: 1998

Number of employees: 60+

Number of food customers: 20+

Solution name(s): Comprehensive Supply Chain Solutions

Worth noting: “Barcoding provides software, hardware, and support services for food wholesalers and distributors. Our software and hardware solutions utilize automatic identification data capture (AIDC) to give users end-to-end visibility into the supply chain. By automating data collection with bar code, mobile, wireless, and RFID devices, food distributors can trace and control inventory in the warehouse and in the field.”

Blue Sky Technologies, Charlotte, NC

Web site: www.blueskytech.com

Year founded: 2008

Number of employees: 10

Number of food customers: 35

Solution name(s): Insight - Supply Chain Visibility Software

Worth noting: “Food logistics companies have highly complex supply chains, yet many do not have Web-based, dashboard style insight into their key performance activities and overall supply chain operations. Blue Sky’s Insight product provides real-time, exception based visibility into issues as they arise, allowing managers and executives to get their operations back on track immediately.”

Worth noting: “One of the biggest issues for anyone dealing with food (or other perishable products) is the issue of recall. It is critical for companies to be able to identify and act upon problems in an immediate fashion to prevent bad product from reaching the end user. Cadre’s ‘containment’ functionality provides immediate feedback to identify where product is in the supply chain based on a date code, serial number, pallet ID, or other identifying marks. Once identified, procedures are driven by the application to ensure that the product is contained and that anyone with that product (carriers, warehouse, etc.) is made aware of potential issues.”

Worth noting: “CAMS Software is the leading supplier of dispatch and driver payroll software to the grocery industry. Every day across the U.S., more grocery trucks are dispatched using CAMS software than any other product. CAMS was designed and developed exclusively for the grocery industry and is not used outside of the sector.”

CaseStack, Santa Monica, CA

Web site: www.casestack.com

Year founded: 1999

Number of employees: 150-200

Number of food customers: 200

Solution name(s): CaseStack offers transportation management and warehousing services along with a Retailer Consolidation Program

Worth noting: “CaseStack provides full transparency to clients with their Web-based technology platform. Our sustainability efforts include ‘consolidating to retail’ services, a Delivered Green Program, participating in EPA’s SmartWay as a transportation partner, and working to eliminate supply chain waste.”

Worth noting: “Cass is the leading provider of freight audit, payment, and business intelligence services, leveraging over 50 years of experience in providing solutions to major corporations having complex transportation payment and information needs. By understanding our customers’ critical transportation and accounting processes, we provide customized business intelligence solutions that help create a competitive advantage through reduced costs, increased efficiency, and better decision making capability.”

Solution name(s): Managed TMS® provides shippers with a combination of TMS software (SaaS) and managed services that enable both immediate and sustained cost savings throughout their transportation networks. Core components of this service include Six Sigma-based process engineering, advanced TMS technology, and onsite TMC power users, who serve as an extension of the client’s dedicated staff. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. offers Managed TMS services through TMC, a global division with offices in Chicago, Illinois, Amsterdam, Mumbai, and Shanghai

Worth noting: “Founded in 1905, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. is a global provider of multimodal logistics services, fresh produce sourcing, and information services to 36,000 customers through a network of more than 230 offices and over 8,000 employees around the world. The company works with 49,000 transportation providers worldwide. C.H. Robinson is a Fortune 500 company and had annual revenues of $9.3 billion in 2010.”

Worth noting: “Commodity price volatility is an ongoing challenge for food manufacturers and foodservice companies, as these have a direct impact on the cost of the final product being delivered to the customer. The ongoing price fluctuations of grain, corn, proteins, and even fuel, have food supply chains in a constant search mode for identifying areas of cost reduction to maintain profit margins without resorting to price increases for the customer. CombineNet ASAP helps these organizations by enabling them to conduct sourcing events that go beyond the traditional price per item approach to sourcing strategies.”

Worth noting: “Companies best suited to work with CAPS include manufacturers who ship or receive non-hazardous bulk liquids in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. CAPS provides B2B solutions for a variety of companies ranging from large Fortune 100 companies to smaller independently owned suppliers and packagers. We work with food, beverage, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, non-hazardous specialty chemical and general manufacturing companies.”

Worth noting: “Transportation is one of our primary areas of focus. Through our secure, always-available online marketplace, the dairy industry can gain instant insight into transportation supply and demand and easily post, negotiate, and accept load offers. Hundreds of loads of fluid product movements take place on Dairy.com each week, providing a significant source of potential revenue for the food-grade tanker industry.”

Worth noting: “Demand Solutions provides platforms that are a perfect fit for both small- and mid-sized businesses and enterprise level businesses. Our key business types are manufacturers and distributors as well as retail.”

Worth noting: “A significant issue in the food and beverage industry is the increasing complexity of receiving, storing, picking and shipping product. Food distributors are seeking new ways to provide improved logistics performance levels at a lower cost. Some of the drivers include SKU proliferation, servicing multi-format retailing, building mixed case pallets, space utilization, transportation costs, inventory accuracy, order accuracy, labor costs, as well as health and safety issues for employees.”

Worth noting: “Descartes is delivering results today for global organizations that operate logistics intensive businesses and require visibility and control over multi-channel networks of trading partners and business processes. We deliver the fastest time to value and drive tangible improvements in productivity, performance and customer service across our entire customer base.”

Evans Transportation Services, Inc., Brookfiel

Year founded: 1985

Number of employees: 61

Number of food customers: 15

Solution name(s): N/A

Worth noting: “Best fits are those food companies, whether it’s a single or multiple locations, looking to streamline their supply chain process with real-time visibility throughout the supply chain network.”

Extendata, Englewood, CO

Web site: www.extendata.com

Year founded: 2002

Number of employees: 25

Number of food customers: 20

Solution name(s): Mobile Conductor

Worth noting: “The Mobile Conductor software solution for both Proof of Delivery and Direct Store Delivery is deployed in small fleets from 5 users to companies with hundreds of routes. We have a ‘premise-bases’ solution that can be purchased/installed for larger fleets, and a Software-as-a-Service model that works well for smaller fleets.”

Food Decision Software, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

Web site: www.fooddecisionsoftware.com

Year founded: 1978

Number of employees: 10

Number of food customers: 400

Solution name(s): WinFDS, WinFDS SaaS (Software-as-a-Service)

Worth noting: “Although the requirement for all food distributors and manufacturers to have a food recall plan and to be able to track products back one source and forward one source has been regulated since 2002 through the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, many still do not have a plan in place or the ability to locate suspect products. With the signing of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in January 2011, food distributors and manufacturers are starting to panic to ensure they are prepared in the event of a visit from the their regulating agency, or worse, have a true recall situation on their hands.”

Worth noting: “FoodLink is the network for fresh food, connecting the perishable goods supply chain from the farm to the customer with an online network representing more than 2,000 companies including grower-shippers, carriers, retail grocers and wholesalers. With FoodLink, retailers and wholesalers efficiently source the freshest and safest foods from trusted suppliers through a single online platform, and suppliers improve sales to important trading partners.”

Worth noting: “Reducing the total cost of product ownership throughout the product lifecycle is one of the biggest challenges facing grocery and foodservice distributors and manufacturers. Our solution involves employing a Product Lifecycle approach that integrates technology advancements in both material handling and warehouse management systems with proven logistics practices and Lean Six Sigma.”

GT Nexus, Oakland, CA

Web site: www.gtnexus.com

Year founded: 1998

Number of employees: 450

Number of food customers: N/A

Solution name(s): GT Nexus Cloud Supply Chain Platform

Worth noting: “Our core customer base in the food industry is comprised of the large manufactures. Like many companies with global supply chains, they struggle with managing the inventory and information flows between their operations and their partners. They have tried to solve this with software, but that has failed because ‘license and install’ software systems are designed to automate processes within a single company, not between companies. Cloud technology solves this by putting a neutral, informational replica of the physical supply chain up in the sky, online in the cloud. Similar to the way Facebook changed the way social networks communicate and share information, cloud is doing the same thing for supply chain. GT Nexus is the cloud supply chain platform that supports leaders across industry verticals to control product and information flows between suppliers, logistics providers, carriers, banks, and customers.”

Worth noting: “One of the biggest challenges manufacturers, distributors, and retailers face is managing the delicate balance of supply and demand. Too much inventory, and you see markdowns and obsolete inventory. Too little, and you see lost sales and dissatisfied customers. We have developed an integrated platform to manage our customers’ supply chains, enabling visibility and collaborative planning across supply chain partners.”

Worth noting: “The greatest challenge facing today’s grocery and foodservice distributors and manufacturers is securing the global supply chain. With the number of recalls occurring—from ground turkey and seafood, to bean sprouts and lettuce—it is imperative that the entire food industry focus on increasing the safety and quality of food that it produces by leveraging technology at all levels from farm to fork.”

Worth noting: “The supply chain is all about ensuring that the right product is at the right place at the right time. In a struggling economy, doing so in the most efficient and cost effective manner becomes even more critical and can even determine whether or not a company will survive. Our clients have shared their reverse logistics goals as Inventory Management, Visibility and/or Actionable Information, Supply Chain Integrity, Regulatory Requirements Compliance and Environmental Sustainability. Technology plays a critical role in helping companies achieve these goals.”

Worth noting: “Intelleflex offers the fresh produce industry on-demand visibility for tracking and monitoring the temperature and condition of fresh produce end-to-end—from the field to the store shelf and even at intermediate steps such as in handoff from shipper to warehouse—thus reducing waste, improving product quality, maximizing shelf life and increasing customer satisfaction.”

Intermec, Everett, WA

Web site: www.intermec.com

Year founded: 1966

Number of employees: 2,000

Number of food customers: 500+

Solution name(s): Mobility and printing solutions for distribution centers and field service applications

Worth noting: “One of the biggest challenges facing today’s grocery and food service distributors and manufacturers is dealing with an ever-increasing number of delivery locations with increasing complexity. Because of this, the need for supreme efficiency is at an all-time high. Companies must look for solutions that offer a reduction in errors while at the same time offering increased staff productivity and a high-rate of customer satisfaction.”

Worth noting: “Both retailers and suppliers in the food and beverage sector need a more traceable supply chain in order to respond to consumer safety issues, prompting more companies to adopt GS1 standards. LANSA Data Sync Direct is the product that more major manufacturers, distributors and retailers in the U.S. use to most efficiently implement GS1 standardized product information via the GDSN (Global Data Synchronization Network) working with their ERP or MDM/PIM applications.”

Worth noting: “In order to expand consumption of their fresh products, our customers need to make sure that the products they ship arrive at their freshest and safest. By offering both permanent and reusable continuous shipment monitoring options, we make it possible for any company to ensure the freshness and safety of any shipment through continuous information from the truck on shipment temperature, security and location. Our Intelligent Alert text and email messages put the right information in the hands of the right people so they can prevent shipment damage. Online access to maps, graphs and reports for every shipment give our customers immediate access to the shipment data they need for rapid dispute resolution or business analysis.”

Worth noting: “Many of our customers in the food and beverage industry have taken advantage of opportunities and experienced significant new growth as well as challenges from recent mergers and acquisitions creating redundant physical assets, excess costs and overly complex/overlapping logistics operations. Logistix Solutions has provided software solutions and consulting services to identify duplicate warehouses, overlapping transit lanes, redundant suppliers and excess inventory and then to optimize these logistics operations contributing to significant cost reduction.”

Worth noting: “Made4net’s solutions optimize the various links in the supply chain, including the optimization of resource and labor productivity in the warehouse, handling and managing various product dynamic attributes, QC processes, traceability, better shelf life cycles, all the way to optimization of routes and increasing savings in distribution resources and fuel consumption.”

Worth noting: “Manhattan Associate’s SCOPE uses unrivaled predictive and algorithmic technology to dynamically and optimally refine supply chain operations in real time as internal or external conditions change. It breaks down functional silos to create Whole Chain Awareness™—holistic, end-to-end supply chain visibility and insight that prevents decisions in one supply chain operational area unknowingly impacting another area; and identifying and optimizing opportunities across the entire supply chain for improved performance.”

MercuryGate, Cary, NC

Web site: www.mercurygate.com

Year founded: 2000

Number of employees: 75

Number of food customers: N/A

Solution name(s): MercuryGate TMS

Worth noting: “MercuryGate helps companies reduce transportation costs through load consolidation, carrier selection, and process improvement. Most direct customers are mid-sized shippers with a transportation spend of less than $500 million per year. The best fit is those that require the use of a full-function, multi-modal transportation planning and execution application.”

Mettler-Toledo, Columbus, OH (North America HQ)

Web site: www.mt.com

Year founded: 1901

Number of employees: 10,000

Number of food customers: 3,000+

Solution name(s): PFA569lift

Worth noting: “With the new food safety regulations, hygienically-designed equipment is of the utmost importance. The PFA569lift floor scale simplifies washdown in hygienic applications. Its easy-to-lift platform allows quick access to the interior of the scale for thorough cleaning. One person can lift the platform manually. Made entirely of stainless steel, the PFA569lift floor scale is durable enough to provide accurate, repeatable weighing while standing up to constant use in wet and corrosive environments. A versatile design allows installation in a pit or on top of the floor. Adjustable feet make it easy to level the scale on uneven floors or when moving the scale to a new location.”

Motorola Solutions, Schaumburg, IL

Web site: www.motorolasolutions.com

Year founded: 1928

Number of employees: 64,000

Number of food customers: 1,150+

Solution name(s): N/A

Worth noting: “Motorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter.”

Worth noting: “Today’s biggest challenge facing the food service industry is the fear of change. As a commodity, transportation costs are only increasing and the food service industry is going to need to adapt to these cost increases with better, more efficient processes and systems. Movement Technologies offers proven business and technology solutions that automate, centralize, and monitor the supply chain process...helping companies to cut hard and soft costs, save time, and prepare for the 21st Century.”

Multisorb Technologies, Buffalo, NY

Web site: www.multisorb.com

Year founded: 1961

Number of employees: N/A

Number of food customers: N/A

Solution name(s): FreshPax® Oxygen Absorbing Packets are one of Multisorb’s most popular Drop-In solutions for absorbing oxygen. FreshPax® packets have been proven to extend the shelf life of oxygen-sensitive products, resulting in the reduction of preservatives and the retention of flavors, color, aroma, and quality

Worth noting: “As the world leader in active packaging technology, Multisorb Technologies has developed innovative sorbent solutions for a wide range of applications for the healthcare, food and beverage, electronics, transportation, storage, and government industries. Our Drop-In, Fit-In, and Built-In sorbent solutions are designed to meet specific application requirements. Our highly-trained applications engineers and R&D scientists will collaborate with you to provide a unique, cost-effective solution to manage moisture, oxygen, odor, hydrocarbons, volatiles, and/or other substances that can adversely affect the shelf life and integrity of your product.”

Worth noting: “Some of the biggest challenges facing our industry include adherence to the Bio-Terrorism Act of 2002, adaption of the GS1 bar code standard, and automation of the warehouse.”

Next Generation Logistics, Inverness, IL

Web site: www.nextgeneration.com

Year founded: 1988

Number of employees: 15

Number of food customers: 150

Solution name(s): FreightMaster TMS

Worth noting: “FreightMaster TMS has integrated features that allow corporations to reduce their carbon footprint by minimizing miles through route optimization and building efficient routes and the selection and utilization of carriers that have high EPA SmartWay scores.”

Worth noting:“Our vision is that Next View will provide innovative, functionally and technologically advanced systems to the supply chain software market aimed at helping our customers achieve operational and IT excellence for their supply chain initiatives.”

Worth noting: “One of the largest supply chain challenges facing today’s grocery and foodservice distributors is to deliver product accurately and on time. With PeopleNet onboard, fleets are able to increase the efficiency of stops and improve supply chain communication through Automated Workflow messages, which are generated automatically based on a geo-fence that’s created around a location or event; gain remote temperature management of reefer units; minimize dispatch-to-driver calls with instructions sent to the driver for viewing upon arrival at pick-up and delivery locations, allowing drivers to skip the paperwork and key billing information into a custom form in the mobile communications device and send it to the back office; and with Automatic Vehicle Location, predict delivery times.”

Worth noting: “Food manufacturers around the world are facing new challenges and pressures to improve their safety and quality control processes. There’s no better time than now for them to adopt the best safety and traceability practices and tools from their counterparts in other manufacturing industries. Plex Online helps food manufacturing pioneers meet rigorous safety, quality, and traceability requirements.”

Worth noting: “Psion provides the food industry with a resilient, rugged handheld solution for its logistics and overall warehouse management needs. Psion devices are also tough enough to withstand the food industry’s requirements for rugged devices that can withstand drops on the warehouse floor and low temperatures.”

Worth noting: “For more than 35 years, RedPrairie’s best-of-breed supply chain, workforce, and all-channel retail solutions have put commerce in motion for the world’s leading companies. Installed in over 60,000 customer sites across more than 50 countries, RedPrairie solutions adapt to help ensure visibility and collaboration between manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers. RedPrairie is prepared to meet its customers’ current and future demands with multiple delivery options, flexible architecture, and 24/7 technical and customer support.”

Worth noting: “Effective and efficient traceability is still one of the biggest challenges facing today’s grocery and foodservice distributors and manufacturers. As illustrated by several major recalls both in the U.S. and internationally this year, the stakes are high from both the food safety standpoint and the business perspective. Increased government regulations and industry requirements for product quality and traceability are driving food distributors worldwide to create more efficient and integrated supply chains. Distributors are gradually turning to technology providers like Retalix to help meet this demand.”

Worth noting: “Key problems solved with Retrotech include extending the service life of existing equipment; reviving equipment from defunct OEM or equipment no longer supported byOEM; improved space utilization; alignment of warehouse operations and goals with corporate strategy; designing a system that accounts for future growth; and designing a system the customer needs versus the one they want.”

Worth noting: “Companies using Roadnet Technologies’ tools can expect a savings of 5 to 15 percent in transportation related costs due to reductions in mileage and fuel, while increasing productivity. The applications empower customers to effectively manage delivery and distribution of products while improving service levels to their end-customer. Through greater cost savings and efficiencies, organizations have the ability to grow their business.”

Worth noting: “Robocom is a provider of Supply Chain Execution software solutions. Our focus for nearly 30 years on Supply Chain Execution solutions has enabled our customers’ pursuit of warehousing and distribution operational excellence. The Robocom Team has a rich set of professional skills, extensive industry knowledge and strong technical expertise that will help your team to accomplish more in a shorter period of time.”

Worth noting: “The biggest problem facing our industry is the 30 to 50 percent food yield losses due to short shelf lives, deliveries, and other food related issues (this is a world-wide problem). These food yield losses are also associated with 30 to 50 percent of waste related to fuel, land, pesticides, water used to grow non-conforming produce, or late delivery of products to market. The second largest issue has to do with assuring international food safety for imports and exports.”

Worth noting: “Up-to-date and accurate inventory records are more essential in a slow growth economy than ever before. They help with day-to-day operations as well as keeping food companies in compliance with local, state and federal regulations, and provide the fast and accurate records needed for a product recall. In addition, knowing which products and customers are profitable and which are not is also an essential decision making tool in the new normal.”

Worth noting: “One of the biggest problems that grocery and food service distributors face is how they can get product out the door for the least amount of expenditure. With the growing cost of food, in order to stay competitive they need to be able to lower cost without lowering throughput and keeping the supply chain safe. Food distributors need to know that they are keeping the supply chain as safe and cost effective as possible for the customers, and their own well-being.”

Worth noting: “The Food industry is faced with the age old challenge of too much to do in too little time. Despite the tremendous spend on information technology, much of the information that supply chain executives need for making critical decisions is not accessible Company: Silvon Software, Westmont, IL

Silvon Software, Westmont, IL

Web site: www.silvon.com

Year founded: 1987

Number of employees: 50

Number of food customers: 150

Solution name(s): Stratum

Worth noting: “The Silvon Stratum suite of operational planning, analysis and reporting applications is designed to help food manufacturers and distributors meet numerous challenges, including less predictable demand and supply, business-driven reporting, and demonstrating product category and promotional performance knowledge.”

SMC³, Peachtree City, GA

Web site: www.smc3.com

Year founded: 1935

Number of employees: 86

Number of food customers: 160

Solution name(s): CzarLite, RateWare XL, CarrierConnect XL, BidSense

Worth noting: “SMC³ is the leading provider of data, technology and education as an integrated solution to the freight transportation community. SMC³ delivers its core competency—LTL pricing expertise—through collaborative pricing technology that supports end-to-end, ongoing predictability in shipper/3PL-carrier relationships. Best known for its CzarLite®, Bid$ense® and RateWare® solutions, the company serves more than 5,000 customers throughout North America, including shippers, carriers, logistics service providers and freight-payment companies. The company also partners with leading transportation software developers for complete interoperability.”

Software Logistechs, Toledo, OH

Web site: www.softwarelogistechs.com

Year founded: 1997

Number of employees: 5

Number of food customers: 10

Solution name(s): DC-Xpress WMS

Worth noting: “One key issue to today’s food/grocery distributors is the visibility and management of perishable inventory. Many product managers that hold this responsibility today are left in the dark. As a result, they cannot provide their customers with guaranteed shelf-life contracts or product becomes distressed and spoiled. DC-Xpress WMS solves this problem by automatically managing perishable inventory to inform product managers of inventory approaching distressed conditions.”

Sologlobe, Montreal, Canada

Web site: www.sologlobe.com

Year founded: 1997

Number of employees: 40

Number of food customers: 20

Solution name(s): Solochain WMS, Solochain MES

Worth noting: “With the new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, traceability is an important challenge.”

Worth noting: “Supply Chain Intelligence is a transportation logistics software company providing enterprise and subscription-based services based on a unique set of optimizers designed for the industries served. iSuite is a suite of products delivering optimal solutions for both inbound and outbound needs.”

Worth noting: “The biggest challenge facing distributors and manufacturers in the grocery and food service areas is how to reduce both carbon footprint and rein in costs at the same time. The Supply Chain Optimizers’ packaging optimization and network design do both. By getting the packaging right, companies reduce costs of corrugate, labor, and transportation while reducing carbon emissions. The network optimization work reduces cost while reducing miles driven and the associated carbon impact—a win-win situation.”

Swisslog, Newport News, VA

Web site: www.swisslog.com

Year founded: 1898

Number of employees: 2,200

Number of food customers: 50

Solution name(s): A variety of material handling solutions for warehouses and distribution centers providing inventory and order fulfillment solutions

Worth noting: “One of the biggest challenges facing the food and beverage sector is the overall organization of their distribution facilities—the efficient and accurate storage and order fulfillment of food items.”

Syntelic Solutions Corporation, Germantown, MD

Web site: www.syntelic.com

Year founded: 1996

Number of employees: 13

Number of food customers: 10

Solution name(s): Syntelic Enterprise

Worth noting: “Grocery and food service distribution is a high volume, low margin proposition, where inefficiencies in any area reduce profitability, i.e. damaged goods, miss-picks, wasted minutes in loading and unloading trucks, and out of route miles. Customer service—meeting delivery time windows, and expectations—is also important to food service distributors. As operations grow more complex, and every aspect of supply chain operations is considered for optimization, the sheer amount of data to be evaluated can be overwhelming. Software systems, unless fully integrated, create silos of data and mask opportunities to use supply chain data for decisions that squeeze out new cost savings and optimize operations at every turn.”

Worth noting: “Private fleets face competition from dedicated carriers and need to consider operating with a commercial fleet mindset in order to move from expense to profit center. For fleets that embrace back-hauling or load pooling in order to defray operating costs, our transportation management software provides the framework to serve and do business with more than internal customers. For private fleets that maintain their own vehicles, our fleet maintenance software helps keep costs under control and trucks up and running, both keys to productivity and service performance.”

TopVOX Corporation, Barrington, IL

Web site: www.top-vox.com

Year founded: 1995

Number of employees: 120+

Number of food customers: 250+

Solution name(s): topSpeechLydia

Worth noting: “Profit margins, especially in the food industry are challenging. The speaker independent topSpeechLydia voice recognition system of TopVOX, has proven an increase on average of 20 to 25 percent productivity compared to RF and/or paper picking. Thanks to eyes-free, hands-free operation, there is an increase in safety and ergonomics: focus is on the job at hand! In addition, errors normally decrease by 8 to 10 percent.”

Worth noting: “Leading grocery and foodservice manufacturers are placing a high premium on data. Exceptional analytical tools and capabilities will help develop insights that companies can apply across their supply chain. We encourage our customers and our teams to be data-driven in all their approaches. It fits well with our Lean Six Sigma program and has become an important part of our DNA. Using Microsoft Business Intelligence, Transplace has developed proactive reporting that allows our teams to avoid service failures before they happen. This coupled with ‘loads in trouble’ logic or exception management tools inside our TMS allows us to perform at a high level and meet our customers’ expectations. By exceeding customers’ expectation on delivery performance, it allows them to better manage their out-of-stocks and their inventory, which is critical.”

Worth noting: “Triple T Transport’s number one goal is to fulfill and exceed our customers’ expectations and needs as well of those of their customers with commitment and confidence. With more than twenty-five years of experience in managing carriers and freight, our team of professionals do one thing extremely well—we provide customer service.”

TZA, Long Grove, IL

Web site: www.tza.com

Year founded: 1984

Number of employees: 50+

Number of food customers: 40+

Solution name(s): ProTrack Warehouse; ProTrack Drivers

Worth noting: “Labor represents one of the largest expense items in a distribution (and manufacturing) environment.”

Worth noting: “In today’s market, the grocery industry must contend with many of the typical retail struggles, including massive amounts of SKUs, shrink and returns. Buyers today are making this situation even more difficult by focusing on fresh and boutique ingredients that have a high level of shrink due to shorter shelf life and often higher inventory cost that stores do not want bear. Manufacturers and distributors are in the unique position of having to sell these products into stores that are often hesitant to try additional lines of these perceived high-cost products.”

Worth noting: “The biggest challenge facing today’s grocery and foodservice industries is three-fold: more efficient order fulfillment; better inventory management; and greater availability of information/visibility to data across the enterprise. Savanna.NET assists our customers in all of these areas. Savanna.NET integrates seamlessly with material handling equipment (AS/RS, robotics, palletizers, conveyors, etc.) to efficiently manage the automatic fulfillment of customer orders, while also managing inventory and movements within the customer’s warehouse and communicating that information with any ERP/host system that our customers may have. We do all of this with our robust material handling solutions and our ability to help our customers utilize their existing assets (building, equipment, etc.) while doubling their storage capacity and reducing their information processing costs.”

Worth noting: “The biggest challenge is managing the growth in SKUs and the steep ABC curve that retailers are facing. Witron’s automated picking solutions remove the pickfront from the operation and allows the item list to grow without changing the picking system or warehouse footprint.”

Xata, Eden Prairie, MN

Web site: www.xata.com

Year founded: 1985

Number of employees: 210

Number of food customers: 200

Solution name(s): XataNet, Xata Turnpike

Worth noting: “Since 1985, Xata has been at the forefront of the development of technologies and services that have brought the power of science to the North American trucking industry. Combining enterprise software, onboard computing, real-time communication and global positioning, we’ve created intuitive and automated solutions that help improve operations by integrating operational and performance data with billing, payroll, routing and compliance systems.”

Zebra Technologies, Lincolnshire, IL

Web site: www.zebra.com

Year founded: 1969

Number of employees: 3,000

Number of food customers: 50

Solution name(s): An extensive portfolio of bar code, receipt, kiosk and RFID printers and supplies, as well as real-time location solutions